Playing computer games can improve your vision, claim scientists

Last updated at 17:15 06 February 2007

Playing computer games can improve your vision, scientists said today.

Researchers found people who played action video games for a few hours a day for a month improved in visual tests by 20 per cent. The study is to be published next week in the journal Psychological Science.

"These games push the human visual system to the limits and the brain adapts to it. That learning carries over into everyday life," said Professor Daphne Bavelier of the University of Rochester.

In Japan, meanwhile, Nintendo's Wii game console has outsold Sony's PlayStation 3 by nearly three to one in January.

Nintendo sold about 405,000 Wii units last month, compared with around 148,000 units of the PS3 sold.

Wii and PS3, made by two of the biggest players in the £15 billion global video game industry, went on sale late last year in a three-way showdown with Microsoft's Xbox 360.

A wider range of software titles for the Wii is luring more users, while the PS3's higher price tag is hindering sales growth claims Enterbrain, Japan's largest video game magazine publisher.

The basic model of the PS3 sells for £200 in Japan, double the price for the Wii.

The PS3 finally goes on sale in the UK next month, while the Wii has been available here since late last year.